Blog Cull

From time to time I go through the list of blogs that I follow (currently 61 of them).  I tend to mainly get rid of those that I either no longer read, or rarely read anymore, just to reduce the amount of crap that I have to filter through when I check for updates.  I also go through and generally remove any blog that hasn't been posted to in over 6 months, just to remove the dead wood.  So if you're a bit behind on your blog posts then I suggest you put pen to paper/fingers to keyboard and post an update just to keep your blog ticking over.

If anyone is reading this thinks I might be interested in following their blog, post it in the comments and I'll check it out.  You might find yourself with a new follower.

Eltnot.

Crimson Fists - Purchasing

So I figured that I'd go through how I'm assembling this army on the cheap for the benefit of others who are trying to collect an army whilst being frugal.  Here in Australia I've found that there are three easy ways to get cheap miniatures.

1. Trade/Buy Second Hand
Chances are you can often pick up what you're after for a good price if you wait around for it.  Perusing places like the WAU Buy, Swap & Sell forum can often net you a good bargain or two.  Other places are checking through what people have brought along to sell at tournaments or the local club.

2. Ebay
I buy a lot of my models off Ebay.  Almost all of my RT Eldar army has come from Ebay and hunting for deals.  I have found that the best bet is to watch a few sales to get an idea for how much things go for.  Put in you bid 48-24 hours beforehand and just walk away.  If you get outbid, just walking away is often the best option.  Early in the piece I found myself in bidding wars for stuff and ended up paying way more than I intended.  I use Hoard o' Bits for most of my bits orders but shop around for the best deals.

3. Buying Overseas
Due to the strong Australian dollar at the moment, buying overseas is extremely cheap.  I can buy stuff often for 50% off Australian RRP by buying from overseas sellers like Maelstrom and Wayland Games.

So lets look at how I'm assembling the force along with my initial guesses at costs:
Captain - $0 - Model to come from the Command Squad boxed set.  Halberd to be converted to represent a Relic Blade (Possibly from Chaos Knights models with iconography removed).
Librarian - $0 - I have an existing model so no need to source one.
Command Squad - $25 - To be purchased from Maelstrom Games, 4x scratch built Storm Shields, 1x Meltagun (bits box)
Drop Pods - $90 - 3x Maelstrom
Dreadnought Drop Pods - $5 - Scratch Built with drop pod bits added on for detail.
Assault Terminators - $35 - AoBR Terminators, 5x Thunder Hammers & Storm Shields, 10x Shoulder Pads (Ebay)
Dreadnoughts - $30 - 2x AoBR Dreadnought (Ebay), Heavy Flamer conversion (Witch Hunter parts from bits box)
Tactical Squads - $15 - AoBR Tactical Squad (Ebay), BfM Tactical Squad (Existing models)
Scouts - $0 - Existing Models
Land Speeder Storm - $25 - Maelstrom

Land Speeders - $50 - Maelstrom
Other Bits and Pieces - $10 - Transfers etc

That brings me to a total of $285.

Currently I've sourced the following from Hoard o' Bits over a period of three weeks of bidding:
2x AoBR Dreadnoughts - $30.00 + Shipping
AoBR Terminators, 5x Thunder Hammers & Storm Shields, 10x Shoulder Pads - $21.30 + Shipping
AoBR Tactical Squad (Ebay) - $10.50 + Shipping
Transfers - $2.00 + Shipping
Shipping - $5.30

Total: $69.10

This puts me quite a bit under so far, with only the dreadnoughts actually costing my close to my estimation, but I can't save much on the Maelstrom Order.  I do however have some unopened prizes from tournaments that I hope to trade in for a box or two of things that I need.  So far so good, the only downside being that moving means that I'm getting this stuff shipped to my Parent's house in Rockhampton and will have to find a way to get them down to Brisbane after they arrive (which will probably cost more than the shipping costs to get them from the US).

Eltnot.

2011 Hobby Resolution

Well given last year's horrible results, I'm once again working on my New Years Hobby Resolution.  Given that I didn't achieve all of my goals last year, some of these might seem a little familiar...


1. Update the Blog
This was one of the few things that I did with anything approaching success.  That said I want it here as a reminder to keep at it.  Given that I'm moving, starting a new job and resuming studies, this will actually be harder than it was last year.  So my goal is to continue providing at least two updates per month but in all honesty, I'm going to push for three.

2. Finish my Sisters of Battle
Yeah, they're still on the list.  The goal is to have them fully completed by the middle of the year including extra squads not normally in my 1750 list.

3. Paint my Blood Bowl Teams
I'd like to get at least two of the three teams that I now own painted by the end of the year.  Most likely the Dark Elves - West Coast Raiders(based on Black Ark Corsairs), and the Orcs - Unknown(I haven't come up with a name for this team yet so suggestions are welcome).

4. Paint my Flames of War army
These poor guys are lamenting in a state of mostly undercoated.  They are now quite high up on the list of things to get painted, especially if I can find some suitable opponents in Brisbane for casual gaming.

5. Try new painting techniques and paints
The Acrylicos Vallejo range of paints is still up on my list of things to do.  The other is to learn to use my shiny new airbrush and compressor.  I'm hoping to use it to paint my Tau which have needed finishing longer than my Sisters of Battle.  The tanks should be the perfect medium to learn how to get even coats and to try out some detail work in the form of camouflage patterns.

Eltnot.